It’s a good thing the Buckeyes aren’t playing at home on Saturday. Because as great as it would
be for the ’Shoe to host Ohio State’s definitive stomping of Northwestern (yes, that’s a
prediction), Columbus just can’t handle it this weekend.

The city’s dance card is full. Its cell is blowing up. Its inbox has exceeded its storage
limit.

However you want to say it: From horses to hockey to soccer and the symphony, Columbus has
packed it all in this weekend.

In fact, it’s such a loaded weekend that the city’s convention and visitors bureau chose now,
specifically, to invite a bunch of meeting planners — folks who arrange national association
meetings that could fill the Greater Columbus Convention Center and buy out every Downtown hotel
room — to see how much the city can handle.

“These are the weekends where we try to show off just how vibrant and how big Columbus can be,”
said Scott Peacock, spokesman for the Greater Columbus Convention and Visitors Bureau.

Let’s run down the list. For starters, the big one: the sold-out
Presidents Cup,
expected to draw 150,000, is in full swing at Dublin’s Muirfield Village Golf Club, and it’s the
reason why Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson and journalists and fans from around the world are in
town. It’s also why the 3,800 Downtown hotel rooms are taken, and why traffic has been so, um,
challenging.

Golf dominates the weekend, no question. But plenty of other entertainment options have managed
to pop in.

“The good news is you’ve got the opportunity to go out to the course, watch some action and
still have a good half of the day to do something else,” Peacock said.

Tonight, the
Blue Jackets open their hockey season against the Calgary Flames with 18,000
sold-out seats. (And since we can’t go too long without mentioning golf, it must be said that Jack
Nicklaus is scheduled to drop the ceremonial first puck.)

From a quick look at the calendar, there’s also a Thirty Seconds to Mars show tonight at
Lifestyle Communities Pavilion; the Run Like a Girl races Saturday morning Downtown; and the Fall
Flea market on Sunday at Seventh Son Brewing.

But let’s get back to golf.

With so many Cup visitors in town — and many, including foreign journalists, staying in Downtown
and Arena District hotels — the Short North is expecting a happily packed weekend, said Betsy
Pandora, executive director of the Short North Alliance.

“We’re fully excited to have those folks staying in the district,” she said.

So the district has something special planned for them. During the Short North gallery hop, a
monthly Saturday evening event, stylized images from the Presidents Cup will be projected on the
side of a building, Pandora said. An artist will complete murals depicting key victory scenes from
the event.

And those who’ve never been to Columbus will see banners along some Short North buildings,
repeating the same word in 13 languages: “Welcome.”